[Ely Announce] Church burglaries and metal thefts

[Owen Spencer-Thomas]

Church burglaries and metal thefts

The recent spate of burglaries and metal theft from churches in South Cambridgeshire will cost some parishes tens of thousands of pounds to remedy the accompanying damage caused by thieves.   

Metal thefts pose a particular problem.  With lead prices on the metal market trebling in the past twelve months, criminals have been quick to seize the opportunity by stealing the metal from church roofs.  

A typical haul can be worth between £2,000 and £3,000 but, because the repairs have to be undertaken by highly skilled workers, parishes can find themselves facing enormous bills of up to £60,000.   

Both the number and severity of burglaries and thefts has increased dramatically in the past two months.  Churches close to the A14 seem to be particularly vulnerable. Over thirty churches have been targeted in this period, some more than once, leaving those charged with their care devastated. 

Break-ins cause similar problems as many thieves have little respect for historic church buildings. In some instances, the value of the stolen goods is negligible but the damage to ancient doors and windows can be expensive to repair.   

The Bishop of Ely, Dr Anthony Russell, has written to the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, expressing his concern.  

"We are calling on people to be extra vigilant and encourage church leaders, parishioners and the congregation to keep an eye on their church, to remove all items of value and consider improvements to security," he said. 

Bishop Anthony Russell added: "We appeal to everyone to be on the look-out and make a note of anything suspicious, taking special care to record vehicle index numbers and descriptions of people, and report this to the police on 0845 456 456 4. "